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MMD > Archives > October 2002 > 2002.10.15 > 01Prev  Next


Anciaume & Hooghuys
By Bjorn Isebaert

First of all, I want to thank Francoise Dussour for giving more
information about the Anciaume family -- my question has been answered!
(I wouldn't have expected it to be otherwise on the MMD. ;-) ).

Now, perhaps I have to explain a little more: the Anciaume organ
modified by Hooghuys was probably built by the Anciaume family in
Paris, not by an Anciaume in Belgium.  The organ was owned by the Dutch
fairground man Gerard Vincken from Roermond, and there's no indication
at all that this organ was built in Belgium or the Netherlands.

Moreover, when looking at the list of organs repaired or modified by the
firm of Louis Hooghuys (this list is much longer than the list of new
organs, by the way), we find a lot of organs of French origin: there
are several by Anciaume, Gavioli, Gasparini, Limonaire, Poirot, ...

But there also names of builders I haven't yet found anything about:
Comere J., Coppin, Desalle, Laigre, Lausange, Legendre and Mortier
Charles.  In only one case, the invoice just mentions "Mirecourt",
without any detail about the manufacturer.

Most of these organs were barrel organs; some of them were modified
to play organ books.  Unfortunately, we don't have any invoices dating
from after 1908; later invoices were (very probably) lost due to the
fact that the Germans occupied the Hooghuys factory building during
WW1.  The list of barrels pinned by Hooghuys gives us data 'till 1924.
It is striking to note that, at the end, only the barrel organs built
by 'the well-known' manufacturers, such as Gavioli, Frati and Ruth,
seem to have survived.

It is also interesting to note that, in the invoices, Hooghuys made a
distinction between organs built under Anselmo Gavioli and those built
under Ludovico Gavioli.

Regards,

Bjorn Isebaert
Zottegem, Belgium


(Message sent Tue 15 Oct 2002, 06:55:39 GMT, from time zone GMT+0200.)

Key Words in Subject:  Anciaume, Hooghuys

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